This weekend we begin, once again, the Season of Advent. The name Advent comes from the Latin words, advenire (to come to) and adventus (an arrival), and refers to Christ's coming into this world. It is that period of the year during which the Church requires the faithful to prepare for the celebration of the feast of Christmas. However, the focus of Advent is by no means limited to just Christ's first coming. An equal, if not more important theme found in the Advent Liturgy, is the Second Coming of Christ, when He comes again to judge the world. We had a difficult lesson in this meaning of Advent just one year ago, when our beloved Bishop Paul Sirba passed away on this very weekend. It was a hard lesson in the fact that one day Jesus Christ will call all of us home to Him.

Advent is somewhat similar to Lent which prepares us for Easter, the greatest feast in the calendar of the Church. Originally the observance of Advent was made up of fasting and took up forty days as with Lent, but was reduced to four weeks. The first allusion to Advent being reduced to four weeks is to be found in the ninth century, in a letter of Pope St. Nicholas I to the Bulgarians. Some Orthodox Churches still continue to observe the fast of Advent, though with much less rigor than that of Lent. As a side note, the Polish tradition, of which you know I am very familiar, still is that one is to fast and refrain from meat on Christmas Eve, and then after the first star appears in the sky, a large festive family meal is shared, though still it is meatless!

As we begin this great Season, I invite you to make it one of the most significant spiritual times in our lives. This Tuesday at 6 PM, we will be gathering to mark Bishop Sirba’s passing with a Holy Hour. He would have loved that we remember him by turning our gaze towards Christ Himself. (You may want to come a little earlier, since the Knights of Columbus will be offering a Rosary in Bishop Sirba’s honor at 5:45 PM).   And since we have to let go of large parties or celebrations this year due to the Covid crisis, perhaps we will have more time to truly make this Advent Season a very spiritual one. Take time to pray like never before! Prepare well for Christ’s coming, not just when the world may end, but for the day when you will face him when you too pass to the Father’s house. May God bless you this week, and the entire Advent Season!

In Christ and Mary Immaculate, 

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary will be holding a Holy Hour in honor of Bishop Sirba on the first anniversary of his death on Tuesday, December 1, 2020 from 6-7 PM.  All from the Duluth Deanery are invited, but all attendees must RSVP here. The Holy Hour will be livestreamed for those who are not able to attend in person.  

Eternal rest, grant unto him, O Lord,
And let perpetual light shine on him .... 

Thanksgiving Day Mass will be celebrated at the Cathedral this Thursday at 9 AM.  What a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day by first giving thanks to God for all he has given us.   There is no 7 AM Mass at the Cathedral or 12:10 PM Mass at St. Mary Star of the Sea Thanksgiving Day.  

 The Parish Offices will be closed both Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27.  

Wishing you and yours a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!  

As covid-19 cases increase in our area, it is a good time to make sure we are all taking the precautions that are in our control.  

Face Masks: Wear a face mask when you are at church. If you are not able to wear a face mask, please obtain a face shield.

Hand Sanitizing Before Communion: When you come up to communion, you will notice there is hand sanitizer in the aisle. To make sure we are doing things safely, first pull down your mask, then sanitize your hands prior to receiving communion.    

Cleaning the Pews: After Mass, please sanitize the area in which you are sitting. Sanitizing wipes can be found in the side aisles. Thank you.

It is that time of the year for the Giving Tree!  Small trees will be placed at the main church entrances. Take an envelope and use it to help those in our parish community that are struggling financially.  If you know of anyone in need, please let the office know with a mailing address and number of people in the family.  

The musicians of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary invite you to join them for the first annual Festival of Lessons and Carols on Monday, December 14 at 7:00 PM. Through nine lessons in word and song, join our instrumentalists and small choir to sing familiar carols and enjoy beautiful songs reflecting upon the Advent and Christmas Seasons.
This year our event will be virtual, accessed via the Cathedral’s livestream at duluthcathedral.com. Since we are not able to sing together in church, let this be an opportunity to participate from the comfort of your own home in whatever capacity is most meaningful to you! We hope this will offer you an evening to let Christ’s light shine through the darkness and become a treasured part of your year.

Christmas Eve:  

3 PM, 5 PM and 7 PM at the Cathedral

4 PM at St. Mary Star of the Sea

Christmas Day:  

8 AM and 10:30 AM at the Cathedral

9:15 AM at St. Mary Star of the Sea

Due to seating restrictions and the anticipated increased attendance at Christmas Masses we have added an additional Mass on Christmas Eve and are requiring sign ups for all Christmas Masses. Sign ups will open online and by calling the parish office beginning Thursday, December 3.  

Happy Advent! In family life, we try to prepare ourselves for many future things: lunches and meal preparation for the next week, vacations, play dates…We are careful not to allow ourselves to be caught by surprise so that we can handle any challenges our family may face. The Gospel this week reminds us that we are called to be just as attentive and alert to the coming of the Son of Man so that it will not catch us unprepared. Has there been a time that you have had an unannounced guest show up to your house? Was your family prepared for this guest? What might have you done differently had you known this person was coming? 

During Advent, we not only prepare ourselves to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we also check to see if we are doing all the things that will keep us ready to receive Jesus when he comes again. As a family talk about how you can recommit to daily prayer and staying faithful to God’s commandments. Pray together that through this Advent season your family will be more prepared to receive Jesus when he comes again. 

Our next faith formation class is on Wednesday, December, 2nd 6 PM - 7 PM when our K-5 students will meet at their home parishes. 

New members are always welcome! You are invited to join us in the ministry of experiencing God in serving our neighbors living in poverty. Email svdpduluthmn@gmail.com for the meeting link, questions, or more details. St. Vincent de Paul Immaculate Conception Conference holds meetings on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month via Zoom at 6 pm. For our neighbors in need of assistance, please call (218) 409-6887 to speak with one of our members.

The Knights of Columbus are conducting a drive to raise funds for the Union Gospel Mission (UGM).  In the past, our council served monthly at the UGM as part of our community outreach, but because of the pandemic, volunteers are no longer able to serve there.  Currently, the UGM is desperately in need of funds to buy food.

The Knights are asking for your donations so that the UGM can continue to feed our brother and sisters in need, especially during the upcoming holiday season. Donations should be sent to Rick Johnston, 7045 Saginaw Rd., Saginaw, MN 55779 (KC treasure at St. Raphael's parish).  Please put our council name (Monsignor O'Shea Council) or your parish name in the memo line of all checks and make them payable to the Knights of Columbus.  

For questions about our local contributions, contact Don Romano (218)343-7752.

St. Mary Star of the  Sea has been serving the communities of Bayshore and Franciscan on the Point for the past few years. The residents would appreciate a card or letter. 

Bayshore Residence & Rehabilitation Center

1601 St. Louis Ave. 

Duluth, MN 55802

Franciscan Health Center

3910 Minnesota Ave.

Duluth, MN 55802

One of our diocesan priests, Fr. Ben Hadrich, had a stroke and letters and cards are requested. He is a grandnephew of Dcn. Ted Windus.  Thank you.   

Fr. Ben Hadrich

Courage Kenney

3915 Golden Valley Rd. 

ME 78440

Golden Valley, MN  55422

This year Stella Maris Academy is rallying to be Sentinel Strong. We are grateful for our strong school community and our supporters. We wish to express our gratitude through our newest initiative called the Sentinel Strong/Kind Hearts project! Our Sentinels are performing Sentinel Acts of Kindness for our families, friends and neighbors. We invite you to participate, too! Reach out to a family member, friend, or community member with a small act of kindness yourself. Then if you wish, please share your kindness story by emailing Teresa Kenney at teresa.kenney@stellamaris.academy. We would love to hear from you! Our school community is hoping to perform over 300 Sentinel Acts of Kindness.  If you wish to support our student’s efforts in this and other faith formation and service projects throughout the year, you can make a contribution to our Fall 2020 Giving campaign. A contribution directly supports these efforts. www.stellamaris.academy/give 

St. Michael’s  Catholic Church (4901 E. Superior St.) is selling Christmas trees, wreaths and sprays.  High quality spruce, balsam fir, Norway pine, and White Pine are available.  Weekdays 10– 7 (attendant available to help from 5-7 PM) , Saturdays 9-5 and Sundays 11-5.  All proceeds support the mission and ministries of St. Michael's parish.

The eastern Duluth Catholic Parishes are working in a collaborative effort to create a combined Religious Education program and are accepting applications for the Director of Faith Formation for 6^th – 12^th grade students. This is a full-time position with benefits. We are looking for someone who possesses a sincere and demonstrated ability to share their Catholic faith in the dynamic environment of a large scale middle and high school religious education program and beyond. Please see the full job description at https://www.duluthcathedral.com/s/employment.  If you are interested in this position, please send a cover letter, resume and references to lauren.mccracken@duluthcatholic.org.

God Our Father,

 

In Jesus, your Son, You have given to your Church the perfect model of priest, prophet and king, and so You have blessed us through His sacrifice, taught us through His Word, and guided us through His rule.

 

We thank you for the previous bishops who have cared for the people of the Diocese of Duluth. We ask You, father, to guide and enlighten those who will be tasked with helping to choose the next bishop of our diocese. May the man they choose be a man of deep and true prayer, a man of compassionate heart and firm resolves, and a man of joy and peace, who desires above all to do your will.

 

We entrust our prayers to our Patroness, Mary, queen of the Rosary, and ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.